Sand trap cleanout



May 12, 1953 F. E. SAARI ETAL SAND TRAP CLEANOUT Filed Nov. 18. 1949 8.S Wrm Q i? w m WE a 1 fklnw g M r 2 1. m 1 I w w w w 7 2 Mull sand 9will terminate in an Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED, -sTA Es PATENT IOFF-ICE" SAND TRAP CLEANOUT I Frank E. 'Saari, Chicago,

Evanston, Ill., assignors 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication November 18, 1949, Serial No. 128,152 H v The inventionrelates to a sander, of the compressed air type, for railway track use,and has for one purpose to provide a sander with an improved clean-out.

Another purpose is to provide a. sander with a clean-out of maximumstructural simplicity.

Another purpose is' to provide a clean-out which, when it is operated,prevents leakage or supply of sand from the sand source.

Another purpose is to provide an improved jclean-out method for railwaysanding.

Another purpose is to provide a method for converting existing sandingdevices to the employment of the improved clean-out principle.

Other purposes will. appear from time to time in the course ofthe'specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section;

Figure 2 is a plan view, on a reduced scale..of a modification of thestructure shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the'structure of Figure 2, with parts inaxial section;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the fitting shown in Figure5; I,

Figure 5 is a section on the. line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure fi is a partial vertical axialsection illustrating a method ofconverting a simplified including a single casting 3 connected "by theexternally threaded duct 4 to the sand container I. The sand initiallyflows into a pocketforf'trap 5, having a relatively restricted neck 6between I a lower lip or dam I and an upper constri' ion 8. Thus asupply of sand 9 may at all times'be kept in the pocket or trap 5, beingsupplied through the duct 4 from the main sand body2. When sand is notbeing supplied, the body of inclined face'j betweenthe portion? 1 and.8' i0 is a portion of and-Grant V. W. Roth, to Monarch Equipment 2Claims. (Cl. 291-'11) thejsanding structure shown in theform; of a tube.Whereas we show in the drawings a downwardly inclined tube or tubularchamber, it will be understood that this is a matter of illustration,not of restriction.

A sand delivery pipe ll may be threaded into or secured to the portionID in any satisfactory manner, and may constitute means for moving sandtoward the point of ultimate use.

20 is an air supply .duct which delivers air to an inlet passage 2|shown as formed in any suitable lug or projection 22 of the generalunit. 23 is any suitable restriction valve shown as having a portion 24threaded into any suitable aperture 25 in the projection 22. It is shownas having an external head 21. 28 is a lock nut abutting against thesurface 29 of the casting, whereby the valve 23 may be locked at anydesired setting'in relation to the inner air passage 30 for controllingthe air now to, and thus through, the ducts 3| and 32. The passage 30has one branch 3| shown as axially aligned with and extending to theinterior of the casting portion Ill. The duct 30 also delivers air to aduct 32 through which air may pass into the trap 5. 33 is any suitablethreaded plug to provide'access to the duct 32.

Itwill be understood that when air is supplied through the air supplyduct 20 some airis admitted into the sand in the trap 9, and the rest ofthe air is delivered axially along the interior tubular chamber Illa ofthe passage portion 10. Thus sand is pneumatically agitated in andexpelled from the trap 5, the expelled sand being carried along thetubular chamber or passage -l0a to and through'the sand delivery pipe orconduit ll. This takes place only when suitable valve means areemployed; for example, when the operator of a "locomotive wishestodeliver sand to the rails. The means for controlling the air flow to thetrap do not, of themselves, form "part of the present invention, and arenot herein shown. It will beunderstood that compressed air is normallyused, that being the practice of the railroads.

It is desirable, before a sanding operation, to clean out the sandsupplying pipe system from the'trap to the point of use, to eliminateanyforeign-material that may be present, such as moisture, ice, etc. It isalso desirable to clean any sand thatmay be left in the pipe after thesanding. This is done with a larger volume of of the unit 80.

the axis of the chamber Illa, and, preferably, as v intersecting theaxis of the chamber Illa. Air is supplied through any suitable airsupply pipe 4|,

shown as threaded as at 42., and screwed into.

the internally threaded projection 43. lt wil-l be understood that whenair has been delivered through the pipe 20 to deliver sand, and afterthe termination of air delivery through the pipe '29, air is thendelivered through the pipe *1! and through the relatively restrictedorifice 40. The result is to maintain pressure against the sand face 6a,while delivering adequate clean-out air along the pipe I I. I

In Figure 1 there is shown a unitary structure including the sand trapand theclean-out. In Figures 2 and 3 the clean-out is employed or aplied as a separate element.

Referring to Figures 2 and '3, a sand trap body, or a casting 3a, notemploying a clean-out, may be employed, which is identical with thecasting 3 of Figure 1, except that the chamber portion It) is somewhatshorter, and the clean-out, inlet duct 40 is omitted. Instead, there isprovided a connecting duct or pipe Ila, which may be of any suitablelength, and there is employed a separate clean-out fitting, generallyindicated as 58. It is in the form of a T, having opposite parallel ends5! and 52, with a restricted'cleanout inlet 53 located perpendicularlyto the axis of the chamber Him, the pipe Na, and the T-portions 5| and52. H1; is any suitable pipe extending to or toward the point ofdelivery or the sand. The system of supplying the conveying and theclean-out air is the same in the form of Figures 2 and 3 as in Figure l.The separate clean-out fitting or unit is illustrated in Figures 4 and5. While we do not wish to be limited to any specific means for securingthe clean-out unit, we find it convenient to thread the branches 5| and52 internally, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and to 4 ted line in Figure6, we obtain a satisfactory clean-out delivery of air, while avoidingany entrapment or entrainment of air from the sand face 62.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

In the form of Figure 1 we illustrate a unitary sand trap and clean-outstructure to which compressed air must .be delivered by the passage 29for sanding purposes. The dam 1 serves as a limit for the sand, when theclean-out operation is not going on, and the sand face 60: inclinesupwardly and to the right therefrom, referring to the position of.theparts a shown in Figure l.

provide an internally threaded lateral projection which includes adifferent form of clean-out, but I which may be converted to employ theprinciple of the present invention. The trap or Sanding body will beunderstood to have within it a body of sand 6| which, when sand is notbeing delivered, has a front face 52. In the fitting as originallysupplied a clean-out duct 63 is employed in communication with thethreaded interior 64 of the projection 65 which receives the air pipe66'. Any suitable sand delivery pipe 6-! is threaded into or otherwisesecured to the end .iorm a perpendicular passage 63a, shown in 'dot- Theresult is .65 When the unit, as originally Aiter; the sanding operation,clean-out air is delivered through the pipe 4| and the restricted inletduct Ml. The fact that the axis of delivery of the air is at rightangles to the axis of the chamber 10a, the pipe H permits or causes adequate delivery of clean-out air along the pipe H but, at the same time,maintains air under pressure against "the sand face be, and causes nopick-u or wastage of sand from the sand face.

The forms of Figures 2 and 3 operate in the same way, it being a matterof convenience whether Or not a separate fitting 50 is employed, withits clean-out air inlet or duct 53. An advantage of the employment of aseparate unit 56, such as is shown in Figures 2 to 5, is that it maybelocated at a variety of distances from the sand face 6. Also, it maybe applied to convert existing sand trap structures to the employment ofour invention. Under some circumstances, it may be an advantage to do asshown in Figure 6, in converting old equipment. That is to say, anysuitable means may be employed for blocking any inclined passage, suchasthe passage 63, while a substitute perpendicular passage 53a is drilled.

We find that the angle or axis of delivery of the clean-out air, inrelation to the line of flow of the sand, is critical. That is to say,in a structure identical with that shown in Figures 1, or 2 and 3, ifthe axis of the restricted passage til or 53 is inclined either towardor against the direction ofliow of the sand, the result is sand wastageand undesired carrying of send by the clean-out blast of air. Even aslight inclination of the passage Ml may destroy the advantages of thestructure described and shown herein.

It willbe're'aliz'ed that, whereas we have described and illustrated apractical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made inthe. size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing fromthe spirit of our invention, We therefore wish our description anddrawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic,rather than as limiting us to our precise showing.

For example, whereas we have illustrated units with a single clean-outair inlet, it will be understood that it is within the scope of ourinvention to employ a plurality of such inlets.

We claim:

1. In combination with a sand delivery conduit, a clean-out assemblyincluding a normally open connection between a supply of sand and thesaid sand delivery conduit, said connection comprising a tubular chamberhaving, intermediate its ends, a compressed air supply duct with itsdelivery axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid tubular chamber, said air supply duct having a restricted deliveryopening of a cross-sectional area substantially less than that of thesaid tubular chamber.

2. The method of converting a clean-out assembly for a sand deliverypassage which includes rendering inoperative any already existingcleanout air supply passage and providing a substitute clean-out airsupply passage with its axis of compressed air delivery substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of the said sand delivery passage, said airsupply passage having a restricted delivery opening of a cross-sectionalarea substantially less than that of the sand delivery passage.

FRANK E. SAARI. GRANT v. W. ROTH.

6 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Number Name a Date Collin Feb. 20, 1883 Light et a1 June 26, 1923Buckingham June 3, 1924 McGarigal Oct. 14, 1930 Light et al. Apr. 14,1931 Light at al. Apr. 19, 1932 Saari et al. Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS Country Date France Oct. 1, 1920

